As Eli and I were preparing dinner on that tragic day; Zac burst in and was yelling something so loud and fast that it was so hard to understand him. So I grabbed him gently by the shoulders and said, "Zac, calm down and say it where it can be heard." "Lana has been hit with one of Zirconia's fireballs and is not moving," he said with a voice of urgency. Before he could take a breath after that sentence Eli was out the door running toward where his connection to his sister was drawing him.
When I got to where they were, Eli already had Lana's head in his lap. Then he felt for a pulse in the side of her neck. After that the saddest thing happened; Eli cried. Then he laid her back on the ground and walked toward Zirconia. I thought he was going to attack her, but he sat down beside her and enveloped her in a hug.
That evening we buried her. It almost seemed as though the earth was in remorse over her death. Everything was still and quiet; the only thing that could be heard was the sound our feet made while walking to the spot. The sun was hidden by dark clouds that covered the sky. Everyone was in black; the only color worn was the shoes that she had changed. You could still see that Zac hated his, but he lived with it. At the funeral, even the hardest soul was crying.
The days after were ones of sadness. There was no life in the house, but people were there. Words seemed like the were foreign to the people who lived here; yet they were used everyday. Everyone was taking it hard, but three were taking it the hardest: Zirconia, Eli and Caly.
Zirconia kept on insisting it was her fault, even though I keep telling her that when your energy is low your magic becomes unpredictable. She has seemed to almost totally give up on her powers. She has not even tried using them since the tragedy. She seems to confide in one person, Taylor. I will find her crying on his shoulder everyday.
Eli is taking it harder than I thought. He either stays locked up in his room or gone. His destination is unknown to everyone, but he is always back in time for meals and gone again. I hope he is all right. I wish he would talk to someone.
Caly looks as though she has lost a sister. I know that her, Lana, and Zirconia shared a special bond. She seems to be the one that Tay and Zac go to other than Ike. Now she goes to Isaac to talk out her problems. I mean, everyday she is crying on his shoulder.
The three brothers are not taking this lightly either. They didn't know her as well as the others; yet they are showing great remorse. But, for Zac it seems as though the light and energy has been pulled right out of him.
I have canceled classes for a while to allow them time to recuperate. I hope something will bring them out soon. They need their practice if they are to do what needs to be done in the future.
As I looked at my brother, my heart filled with sadness. Ever since my death, no one was acting the same. It scared me that they weren't realizing that I wanted them to go on living there lives, and not to mourn over me. Every day, Eli went to my grave and just sat there, either crying or just sitting there and staring of into space. The only thing that I remember the last few moments in my life was Zirc crying, and Eli rushing over to me. I guess I died in someone's arms, for I felt love and warmth when I finally said my good byes to the world. Never did I realize in my short life was that there was a heaven, just not the kind that other people thought that it would look like. It really didn't look like anything, all heaven felt like was all the happiness and warmth that I received. I wanted to go down to my family and friends and comfort them, to tell them that it would be all right. I made up my mind, and tried my hardest to concentrate on going to the world that I had known.
I was falling. Big gray clouds surrounded me, and I had no control over my actions what so ever. All of the sudden, my body landed with a thunk on the hard cold ground. I looked at my surroundings, and let out a smile of delight. I was home! As I stood up, I heard a soft call from my heart telling me to go to the place where my body was buried. I walked to my grave, I saw my brother there, standing over my grave. I walked over to him and gently tapped him on the shoulder.
"Go away." Eli said, his voice full of sorrow. "Hey Buster! I worked really hard to back here, and there is no way that you are making me go back!" I said.
Eli slowly turned around, then pinched himself a couple of times. "Yeah, right. I'm dreaming. This is all a dream. Or else I'm crazy..........." "Eli! It's really me! I'm not really alive, but I'm at least here!" I cried.
"LANA!!!!!!!!!" Eli yelled so loud that I had to cover my ears. He lifted me up into the biggest hug that I've ever had. "Uh, Eli? You're squeezing a little bit to tight...." I said with a smile. "Oops..... Sorry! Do you want to go home now?" Eli said, and I think he still was a little bit dazed by my returning. I couldn't blame him. His sister died on him, then came back as a..... Well, as a something.
As we approached the house, I started to run towards it. Eli must have thought that it was a good idea, also, because he joined me. As I opened the door, I heard Maeve declare that dinner was ready, and anyone who was hungry should get cleaned up. I opened the door a little bit further, so that I could get through the doorway. Maeve must have heard, because she said, "Eli. Supper's ready. Wash your hands and clean your face before you sit down, okay?" "Yes, Maeve." I said, with a slight giggle at the end. Suddenly, the whole house was in an up roar, and I was trying to hug 6 people at once. "I told you that I wouldn't die until Medwin was long gone, and I keep my promises, no matter what." I said, grinning ear to ear. It was good to be home.
The stars glistened in the deep velvet sky, shining like crystals. They seemed almost majestic that night, it was all too beautiful. A soft breeze gently wafted through the salty air, and I shivered. Only a few feet in front of me, the ocean waves lapped up onto the sand, grazing my bare feet. Giving a little sigh, I closed my eyes and laid on my back, relaxing.
The past few days had been so stressful. Lana's death, and her funeral. But now she's back. I'm not exactly sure why, or how, but all I care about is that she's back. Everything about her is the exact same, except she's not considered alive. It's weird, and very complicated.
My thoughts began to drift. They finally landed on the one thing that had been constantly on my mind for several days...ok weeks. I smile, just thinking about him. He had been my shoulder to cry on, my best friend through practically the whole incident, though I had only known him for a short time. It didn't matter to us, though, Taylor was quickly becoming a close friend. He was just so sweet, caring. It seemed almost too good to be true; he was almost perfect. At least, in my eyes.
Footsteps from behind startled me out of my state of oblivion. I sat up, and found myself looking at Caly. "Zirc, we need to talk." Her voice was thick, and in the moonlight glow I could tell she had been crying. "Caly? What's wrong?" I jumped up and was at her side instantly. Caly never cried, unless something was really wrong, or she was really upset.
"Zirc...my life is ruined." She sat on the sand, and I followed her lead. Draping an arm around her shoulders, I gave her a friendly, comforting hug. "Tell Zirc about it," I instructed, opening my ears. Caly let out a deep breath, her body shuddering. "Zirc...I'm leaving. Tonight. I'm going down to the dock, and taking the next boat out. I don't know where I'm going, but I have to leave."
My heart skipped a beat. "Leaving?" I repeated quietly. "Why? And does Ike know?" Caly sighed, then closed her eyes and held her head like it was hurting. "Ike knows, all right," she softly whispered. My eyes widened. "What's going on?" I asked uncertainly. Caly burst into tears. "Zirc, I'm pregnant!"
I stared at my best friend, who was sitting there, crying her eyes out. I wasn't sure what to say, or how to respond to such an outburst. "Caly...how did you let this happen?" I whispered. Caly was one of the most responsible, mature people I knew. She shook her head and swiped a few tears away. "We should have been more careful. At first I kept telling myself, I'm not pregnant, I'm just sick. But now I'm almost positive." I ran my hands through my hair and sighed.
"I can find out," I began. Caly looked up, her eyes hopeful. "Could you?" she asked. I nodded, then closed my eyes. Her surge of emotions was overpowering. But one thing stood out like a sore thumb. "Oh Caly, I'm sorry," I whispered, giving her another hug. She wept into my shoulder.
"Zirc, do me a favor," Caly said. "Please tell everyone I love them, and that I'll be back someday. But don't tell them why I left. Say you don't know, just don't tell anyone. Ike knows though. We already agreed this was the best thing. He'll need someone, though. Someone who knows what's going on. Please be there for him, Zirc. For me." I choked back a sob. "Of course, Caly," I replied.
"Hey Zirc, time for breakfast!" I groaned when the harsh sunlight streamed through my window. "Lana!" I shouted, throwing a pillow towards the door. She laughed. "Don't be a grouch. Get up! Maeve's making this huge breakfast, and she won't let anyone eat until we're all downstairs." I sighed and sat up, and Lana exited my room. Looking in the mirror, I saw my yellow eyes rimmed with red, and my face red and splotchy from crying. Sighing, I splashed some cold water on my face and pulled my tangled hair back into a messy ponytail, then slowly descended the stairs towards the kitchen.
"Zirconia, do you know where Caly is?" Maeve asked me. Everyone glanced in my direction as I stood, frozen, in the door frame. "Why do you ask?" I replied, avoiding the stares. "When I went to get her, she wasn't there. It looked like her bed hadn't been slept in, and all her stuff was gone. What's the deal?" Lana asked worriedly. I sighed. "Caly left last night," I simply stated, sitting in my chair at the long table.
"She left?" Taylor repeated incredulously. He sat in his seat, next to mine. "Where did she go?" "Why did she leave?" The questions came like bullets. "Shut up!" I screamed. The entire house seemed to grow eerily silent. I couldn't remember the last time I had blown up like that. My eyes scanned the room, landing on Isaac. He looked the same way I felt. "She took a boat out of the harbor late last night. I don't know where she was going, or why she left. I just know she's gone, ok?" With that statement, I stood up and fled the room, running out onto the beach.
My pajamas flapped in the gentle breeze rolling off the ocean, and I let the waves engulf my ankles, shins, knees, and finally my entire torso as I paddled out into the sea. Glancing back at the shore, I saw a figure staring out at me, standing there. It wasn't hard to figure out who it was; only one person would have followed me. I began paddling back to the shore, ignoring the weight of my soaking clothing. When I reached the point where it was shallow enough for me to sit, I did, and Taylor joined me. "Zirc... what's wrong?" he gently asked, pushing a wet clump of hair off my face. I looked out at the waves crashing down onto the sand, ignoring his presence.
"Zirconia Jasmine, answer me!" Taylor commanded. My eyes flashed when he used my middle name. "Who told you that?" I absently asked. Taylor blushed slightly. "Caly." I sighed. "I can't believe she left," I said wistfully. On any other occasion, I would have been furious that she had told him. But right now, I was more worried about how she was doing than anything else. "Why'd she tell you?" I wandered. Taylor turned a deeper shade of crimson. "I asked," he responded. My head turned towards him. "Why were you asking her about me?" I inquired with a small smile. Taylor moved closer, then looked in my eyes. "Your eyes are orange," he informed me with a sweet smile. "I suppose she told you about that, too, "I finished. Taylor nodded, then leaned his head down.
"Hey there!" A cheerful voice caused him to jump, and our heads bumped together instead of meeting in a kiss as we had planned. I glared at the stranger standing above us, wandering who she was and what she was doing here.
"Who are you?" Taylor questioned her, standing. He reached down and took my hands, pulling me to my feet. The girl watched with a small smile, her hazel eyes shining brightly in the morning sun. She looked about Lana's age, possibly older, and was about 5'5". Her hair was longer than my own, trailing down her back in a long mane of long, dark brown hair. There was a striking streak of natural strawberry blonde in the middle, a sure sign she was probably involved in some type of sorcery. If Lana were here, she would know.
"I'm Rose," the girl simply replied, flipping her hair. "Are you a sorceress?" I blurted out. Taylor looked at me, his face questioning. Rose bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah. Just like you," she added. "What's your talent?" I challenged, stepping a little closer. She backed away slightly, a strange look on her face. "I control love," she replied calmly, staring in my eyes. "You must be a fire sorceress, am I right?" I nodded, and pointed a finger up to the sky. I shot a small flame of fire upward, indicating my power. Rose smiled, then looked at Taylor with a mischievous grin. "Taylor, just tell her. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go to the house and introduce myself. Is that ok?"
walked off before either of us could answer. "Tell me what?" I asked, turning to Taylor. He blushed, then stepped over to where I was standing. "I love you, Zirc," he said, leaning his head down. I returned the kiss, giving him my reply back. We walked back to the house hand in hand, wondering exactly who Rose was. "She knew your name," I said suddenly, looking at Taylor. His mouth dropped open slightly in shock. "You're right. How did she know?" he questioned. I suddenly felt a chill run through my blood. Something was wrong about the whole situation, but I couldn't place my finger on it.
